Event

An Afternoon with Kensaku Yoshida: The Course of Study and New Directions in English Education

Sunday, October 17th, 2010, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Speaker: Kensaku Yoshida (Sophia University) with Ann Mayeda and Steven Nishida

Professor Yoshida will discuss the meaning and background of the new Course of Study, ranging from elementary school to senior high school. He will also talk about new ideas in university entrance examinations, as well as English education in universities.

Kensaku Yoshida is the Director of the Center for the Teaching of Foreign Languages in General Education at Sophia University. He is also the Director of the Sophia Linguistics Institute for International Communication. He has worked on many committees for MEXT to revise and improve English education in Japan. He is also a Trustee of The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) and an Executive Director of Asia TEFL. He has given plenary and featured talks at numerous domestic and international conferences.

Ann Mayeda and Steven Nishida will attempt to answer the question-Elementary school English activities: are we there yet?-by defining and clarifying the MEXT Course of Study for elementary school foreign English language activities and look at the reasons for some misunderstanding of this policy by various stakeholders amongst the public and private school sector. They will then focus on how schools are implementing or changing current programs based on their interpretation of the teaching guidelines. The audience will be asked to share how activities are currently conducted at their schools and discuss whether they would be considered suitable under the aims of the guidelines. Lastly, the participants should come away with a better understanding of their role as HRT, ALT, JTE, or NT in the entire elementary English schema.

Ann Mayeda and Steven Nishida have co-coordinated a MEXT-funded teacher-training program hosted by Osaka Shoin Women's University between 2007 and 2010. Their work with close to 500 in-service teachers has provided them with an insider's view of the current situation facing public elementary school teachers in their struggle to implement English in accordance with the MEXT Course of Study. Ann currently teaches at Konan Women's University in Kobe. Steven teaches at Nara Institute of Science and Technology.

Organization: Kobe Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Kobe JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1,000 yen

Venue: Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Hall, room 403, 8-1-6, Goko-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo-ken

Location: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

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